Canadian man arrested at border on drug charge

Maine State Police charged Jason MacDonald with unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, a Class B crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He also was summoned for a rule violation of operating with a false logbook and being a commercial motor vehicle operator in possession of drugs.

MacDonald, driving a truck owned by Murphy Trucking of Sussex, New Brunswick, was hauling fresh fish from Canada to Miami, Fla., when U.S. Customs officials stopped him at the border.

Trooper Jason Fowler of the Maine State Police said Monday night that when customs officers did a secondary search of the tractor-trailer they found more than 14 grams of the drug in pill form.

Although methamphetamine is usually found in crystal form, Fowler said, police were seeing more and more pills.

“No drug manufacturer actually makes methamphetamine. It is usually made in clandestine labs,” he said.

Fowler said that it appeared the drug found in the truck was for personal use.

“It is a decent amount of the substance, considering how powerful the chemical is,” he said. “It is very addictive and very destructive to the human body.”

MacDonald was taken to the Washington County jail and on April 11 posted $500 cash bail. He has since returned to Canada. He is scheduled to appear in 4th District Court in Calais later this year.

Fowler said he expects the Canadian man will return to appear in court.

“He would never be allowed to enter the U.S. again if he didn’t come back,” the trooper said. “Or if he did [not return] he’d have a felony warrant [out on him].”